Man, I see in Fight Club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see it squandered. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. Our Great Depression is our lives. We've been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.

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Saturday, January 27, 2007

J and M were sitting on our bed reading last night while I was otherwise occupied with laundry and other exciting Friday night activities. When I came back in the room, I noticed they were perusing TIME magazine.

J said she's really taken with a picture in here - she can't stop looking at it. When I asked M what picture she liked she flipped to an advertisement for children with cleft palates. She held it up and pointed to one boy in particular (Ahem, a lovely young man from Africa, no less) and said, look mommee, look. mouthowwie. So I said, yes baby, these babies have owwies (I have no idea how to spell that so forgive me) and they need a doctor, but they have no money.

J and I looked at each other, mentally telepathing something between holy shit, really? and overwhelming joy. (Months ago we started the piggybank deal, giving her spare change sometimes and letting her put it inside, talking about how that was her money and she could save it for when she wanted something special.)

So I said, do you want to give this boy your money so he can see a doctor? Yesmommee.

We went to her room and took her piggy bank off the shelf and I said, M, if we open this and take out all the money, that means it will be empty and we'll have to start savihg all over again. Are you sure?

Yesmommee.

So we sat on the floor and opened her bank and she shook all the coins out. I went and got a plastic bag and she carefully put all the coins inside and then took the bag and sat it on the boy's face and handed me the magazine. I asked her again if she was sure, and she said yes.

So we took her money and put it away and simultaneously went online and made a donation. A donation that was made rather reservedly, because they did have a full page ad in TIME. But they do claim that all donations go 100% to programming and not to advertising or overheard, so I'll roll with it because my kid asked me to.

After we were done we put the empty piggybank back on the shelf and we hugged and kissed her and talked about how absolutely wonderful her idea was.

I have no idea what all of that meant in a two year old's head, but damn if it didn't feel like we're heading in the right direction.

Edited to note: One of the things about this that was particularly curious to me was that she conceptualized money. When we started her piggy bank, I thought it was cute, a place for spare change, etc, but I didn't realize that she equated it as money as I see it. And then she equated that money as a means to help. For a 2.4 year old to make that connection, it rather astounded me (and no, this isn't a rant about my kid being smart), it's more speaking to what BubandPie said in the comments, about how much they probably really do know and understand and it comes down to how we allow them to express it. Just my post post .02.

40 comments:

At first, I was amazed at that much sensitivity in a two-year-old - but now I think maybe it's the other way around: of course a two-year-old sees a problem and instinctively wants to help. And how wonderful that you had already empowered her with a way to help, and responded to her impulse by validating it: yes, she can do something. Yes, her compassion can make a difference.

How many two-year-olds see a photo like that, only to have their compassion stunted by a dismissive response?

Back again. I know that you find her ability to understand the role and significance startling. I do as well. She does, however, live in a family where dad and daughter look at Time magazine together (now that's startling) and where both her parents are acutely aware of the imbalances that money creates in the world. I think that M is learning early and learning well.

About Me

The story of a free-spirited woman who after much living had a baby and until recently was in charge of a non profit that helped to get people off the streets.
But I've left it all behind to move to the jungle and figure out a way to live more sustainably while seeing more of the world.
It took us five years and we still aren't quite sure what we are doing but we are doing it anyways.